MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines has again showed its commitment to the environment by leading in the observance of ?Earth Hour? on Saturday night.

?More than 1,000 cities, towns and municipalities in the Philippines have taken part in Earth Hour, the largest number of any country or territory participating in Earth Hour this year,? said organizers of the event in the Earth Hour 2010 official blog (http://earthhourblog.posterous.com/?page=3).

The organizers said the ?amazing show? of support for Earth Hour was complemented by some of the Philippines? most iconic landmarks switching off their lights, such as the Manila Cathedral, Fort Bonifacio and Global City, the Rizal Monument and El Nido Limestone Cliffs.

Other landmarks such as the Quezon Memorial Circle and the Manila City Hall clock tower were also darkened for an hour.

?It?s a huge success and an example of brilliant public and private collaboration,? Gregg Yan, media communication officers of the World Wildlife Fund-Philippines, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

In Metro Manila, a music concert in a Pasay City mall capped the Earth Hour celebrations. The main countdown and switch-off event was held at the SM Mall of Asia's façade

A concert top-billed by Journey?s Arnel Pineda, Moymoy Palaboy, and other local bands took place after the lights went off.

However, it is not immediately known how much electricity was saved and if 100 percent of households, communities, commercial establishments and other institutions in those areas did turn off their lights and unplug their appliances and gadgets from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Yan referred all queries to the Department of Energy, one of the co-orgnizers of the event.

In 2009, the WWF said the Philippines was the top contributor to the worldwide event, with an estimated 10-12 million participants from 637 towns and cities and 611 megawatts saved energy equivalent to a temporary shutdown of a dozen coal-fired power plants.

The organizers said more than 15 million Filipinos in a total of 1,076 towns and cities in the Philippines participated in the activity.

In a statement, Earth Hour Philippines national director Yeb Saño said more and more Filipinos were taking the activity seriously.

?Climate change is the biggest threat to the Philippines. We could lose 2,000 isles to sea level rise alone ?a scenario which could be made worse by dwindling natural resources. This shows that Filipinos are taking the problem more seriously,? he added.

With El Niño wreaking havoc on the nation?s water, food and power supply, this year's Earth Hour has assumed special significance, added Saño, who was recently appointed member of the National Climate Change Commission.

?El Niño is drying up our farms, aquifers and water reservoirs; this is a stark reminder of the perils of global warming. The symbolic act of together switching off our lights for one hour signifies our potential to make a difference if we take united and sustained action in terms of best energy practices and more responsible lifestyles,? he said.

Earth Hour, the world?s largest social mobilization event for two successive years, conveys a powerful symbolic call to action on climate change by urging individuals, corporations, institutions and communities to turn off their lights for 60 minutes.

Around one billion people across time zones all over the world were said to have taken part in the massive display of solidarity for the planet.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer is among the official Earth Hour 2010 partners that include media groups, restaurants, hotels, and major companies. Schools, civil society and church groups have pledged to join the switch-off.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 when 2.2 million people switched off the lights in their homes, offices and businesses for 60 minutes to make a point about electricity consumption and carbon pollution.